Turbine airfoils or outer air seals operate in an environment where the gas temperatures often exceed the thermal capacity of materials in the engine. These parts may rely on cooling features to protect against damage. Cooling air from the compressor can be routed to provide internal convection cooling within the airfoils. However, engine efficiency may be reduced if higher amounts of cooling air are consumed. As demands increase for higher thrust and/or efficiency, the turbine inlet temperatures are increased while the gas allocated for cooling is reduced.
Some internally-cooled engine parts may implement air cooling systems with a series of internal cavities to cool a part. The internal cavities may be impingement cavities that include flow guides for air and/or coolant flowing through the impingement cavities. For various reasons, the leading edge of internally-cooled engine parts such as turbine blades and vanes may be particularly difficult to cool.